Smart Strike filly leads the girls to dominate sixth session of Keeneland Septem

Hip No. 1482 highlighted Sunday's sixth session of the Keeneland September

Yearling Sale when the gavel fell at $700,000 for a dark bay daughter of Smart

Strike.

The January-foaled miss was the star attraction on a day when fillies

dominated the top prices to pass through the auction ring. Six sold for

$400,000 or more on Sunday, with four of those being of the female persuasion.

Consigned as Property of KatieRich Farms, the lass was purchased by Donato Lanni, agent for John Sikura

and Bruce Lunsford. She is the second registered foal out of

the stakes-placed Distinctively (Awesome Again), making her second dam multiple

Grade 1-winning champion and millionaire Heavenly Prize (Seeking the Gold).

That mare found just as much success in the breeding shed as she did on the

track, producing dual Grade 1-scoring millionaire and sire Good Reward (Storm

Cat) as well as his Grade 2-winning full brother Pure Prize, who also triumphed

as a stallion.

Heavenly Prize, grandam of Grade 1 heroine Persistently, has a pair of full

sisters in Grade 1 vixen Oh What a Windfall and Grade 1 runner-up

Dancinginmydreams. Once retired from racing, those two would themselves go on to

foal Grade 1 victor Dancing Forever (Rahy) as well as Grade 2 seconds Pick Six (Dynaformer)

and Conservative (Unbridled's Song).

Sunday's topper counts as her fourth dam multiple Grade 2 queen Blitey (Riva

Ridge), herself a daughter of champion Lady Pitt (Sword Dancer). This female

line also includes Breeders' Cup Sprint star Dancing Spree (Nijinsky II) along

with such Grade 1 winners as Fantastic Find (Mr. Prospector), Finder's Fee

(Storm Cat) and Furlough (Easy Goer).

The second-highest price on the day came for Hip 1515, a bay daughter of

Flatter. Consigned by Warrendale Sales -- agent for Hargus and Sandra Sexton,

Steven and Brandi Nicholson and Tom Bozarth -- she was bought by Green Lantern

Stables LLC for $500,000.

The Kentucky-bred lass is out of the stakes-placed Fight to Love (Fit to

Fight), making her a half-sister to last year's King's Bishop (G1) victor and

2012 Breeders' Cup Juvenile third Capo Bastone (Street Boss) as well as Grade 2

runner-up C J's Leelee (Mizzen Mast). Also of note in the filly's female family

is Canadian champion Fantasy Lake (Salt Lake).

Not long after Hip 1515, a Hard Spun filly sold to Stonestreet Stables LLC

for $480,000. Consigned as Hip 1524 by Paramount Sales, agent, the chestnut miss

is out of Grade 3 heroine Four Gifts (Even the Score).

The yearling, who sold earlier this season for $70,000 at Keeneland January,

is the second registered foal out of her dam. The Kentucky-bred's third dam --

stakes winner Jerry's Sister (Monetary Gift) -- produced Grade 1 vixen Cashier's

Dream (Service Stripe), while descended from her fifth dam -- the unraced Smart

Secret (Dedicate) -- are the likes of dual South African Horse of the Year London

News (Bush Telegraph) and South African champion Promisefrommyheart (Elliodor).

Paramount Sales earlier in the day consigned the co-highest priced colt

of the sixth session in Hip 1288, a dark bay son of Pioneerof the Nile who brought a winning

bid of $475,000 from Solis/Litt.

Buyer Alex Solis II said the bidding for horses on Sunday

was competitive.

"You've got some pretty sharp guys walking around that know

what they're doing, so you have to be ready to pay for the ones you want," he

said.

This female family also includes multiple Grade/Group 1 scorers Annoconnor (Nureyev),

At Talaq (Roberto) and Imperial Gesture (Langfuhr) as well as 1994 Kentucky Oaks

(G1) queen Sardula (Storm Cat).

The dark bay colt sold for

$90,000 as a Keeneland November weanling in 2013.

The other colt on Sunday to bring $475,000 came late in the sale when Hip

1569 sold to Frank Brothers, agent for Starlight, from the Betz Thoroughbreds

Inc., agent, consignment.

He is the second registered foal out of the winning Involved (Speightstown),

who is a half-sister to dual Grade 3 victor Skip to the Stone (Skip Trial) and

stakes diva My Heavenly Sign (Forest Camp).

The Kentucky-bred son of Harlan's Holiday counts as his fourth dam Grade

1-winning millionaire The Very One (One for All), who finished third in the 1981

Japan Cup (Jpn-G1). That mare is a half-sister to English champion Soviet Star (Nureyev),

who captured the 1987 French Two Thousand Guineas (Fr-G1).

The Kentucky-bred miss counts as her second dam Lyrical Prayer (The

Minstrel), who foaled 2013 Carter H. (G1) hero Swagger Jack (Smart Strike),

Grade 2 victress Tap Dance (Pleasant Tap), stakes diva Grand Prayer (Grand Slam)

and stakes second Lyrical Ghost (Silver Ghost). Grand Prayer would herself go on

to produce Grade 1 vixen Malibu Prayer (Malibu Moon) and this year's Monmouth

Cup (G3) scorer Valid (Medaglia d'Oro) while Lyrical Ghost is the dam of Spanish

Horse of the Year Silverside (Pleasantly Perfect).

Farther back, this female line is also responsible for champion Dark Mirage;

English, Irish and French champion Indian Skimmer (Storm Bird); Irish champion

Bluebird (Storm Bird); multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire and successful sire

Java Gold (Key to the Mint); and Grade 1 heroines Missy's Mirage (Stop the

Music) and Classy Mirage (Storm Bird).

Sunday showed across-the-board gains when compared to last year's

corresponding sixth session. A total of 250 horses sold for $28,430,000, a

minute rise of 0.71 percent over the $28,229,000 brought for 290 a year ago. The

$113,720 average jumped 16.8 percent over the 2013 average of $97,341, and the

median showed a 12.5 percent increase, rising from $80,000 to $90,000.